Multiple vertical spindle woodworking machine and method of woodworking



Nov. 14, 1961 3,008,501

W. HAMMER MULTIPLE VERTICAL SPINDLE WOODWORKING MACHINE AND METHOD OFWOODWORKING Filed May 21, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Nov. 14, 1961w. HAMMER 3,008,501

MULTIPLE VERTICAL SPINDLE WOODWORKING MACHINE AND METHOD OF WOODWORKINGFiled May 21, 1958 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGS 2/ I INVENTZR. BY iga;"lwl

ATTORNEY Nov. 14, 1961 w. HAMMER 3,008,501

MULTIPLE VERTICAL SP LE woouwoaxme MACHINE AND METHOD woonwoaxmc FiledMay 21, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 u w FIG. 4.

INVENTOR. 161:

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ATTORNEY Nov. 14, 1961 w. HAMMER 3,008,501

MULTIPLE VERTICAL SPINDLE WOODWORKING OF WOODWORKING MACHINE AND METHOD4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 21, 1958 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY i pi edges 6b and 6c.

MULTIPLE VERTICAL SPINDLE WOODWORKING MACHINE AND METHOD OF WOODWORKINGWaldemar Hammer, 972 Petaluma Hill Road, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Filed May 21, 1958, Ser. No. 736,865 1 Claim. (Cl. 144-1) This inventionrelates to an improved method and machine for working wood and othermaterials of the class employed in the cabinet making art. Moreparticularly, the invention is concerned with a woodworking machineconstruction designed especially for facilitating cutting operationssuch as rabbeting, grooving, forming notches, roll turns and the like.

In one specific respect the invention is concerned with a simplifiedmethod and arrangement of cutting elements for drawer making. In thisclass of conventional Wood working operation, the drawer components aresubjected to a number of different cutting steps, and it is the presentpractice in the cabinet making art to employ a series of machine setupsrequiring considerable time and work and involving as many as six orseven different changes in completing the more complex type of drawerconstruction.

It is a general object of the present invention to improve methods andapparatus for carrying out woodworking operations and, specifically, itis an object to deal with the problem of changing machine setups and toreduce and simplify the operations required in drawer makmg.

These and other objects and novel features will be more fully understoodand appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentof the invention selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the improved wood working machineof the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing portions of the machine of FIG. 1 partlybroken away;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational View of multiple surfacetable structure of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a view in cross section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view in cross section taken on the line 55 of FIG. 2; 1

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken on the line 66of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is an elevational view partly in cross section with thecrosssectional portion of the figure having been taken on the line '77 ofFIG. 2.

In accordance with the invention, I have conceived of a multiple-surfacetable structure in which a plurality of driving spindles are arranged inspaced relation to one another and each spindle is combined with anupper and lower table and fence assembly so that a series of woodworkingoperations on a single piece of stock may be initiated at one of thespindle stations and continuously worked through each of the spindlestations until the final cut is made Without separate handlingoperations.

Considering this multiple surface table structure in greater detail,arrow 1 denotes an enclosure body, preferably consisting of a steelcasing. This enclosure body, as shown in FIG. 1, is formed with avertical side wall 2, a vertical front wall 3 and another vertical sideWall 4. The two side walls 2 and 4 extend substantially in an angulai'lydisposed position, as is more clearly shown in FIG. 2. Supported abovethese side wall members, in overhanging relationship thereto, is a maintable 6 which is formed with a front edge 6a and angularly extending Atits rear, the enclosure 1 may be closed by sides as 8, 9, 10.

In this three-sided angular enclosure body, I mount in 3,008,501Patented Nov. 14, 1961 a vertically disposed position, three drivingspindles 12, 14 and 16 which may, for example, have fixed theretocutting elements as 14a, 16a and 12a; As illustrated in FIG. 2 thespindles are set back from the table edges 6b, 6a and 60 to extendthrough suitable openings formed in the main table 6 and the spindlesoccur in substantial- 1y centered relationship in the table sectionswhich are included by respective front edges 6b, 6a and 60. Thus thespindles and their cutting elements present three cutting stations whichare offset with respect to one another.

The spindles 12, 14' and 16 may preferably consist of the customary formof driving spindles employed in shapers of conventional design. Also, asis customary with driving spindles of this nature, vertical adjustmentis provided for by adjustment wheels as 12b, 14b and 16b, FIGURES 4 to 6respectively. It will be further under stood that these spindles arepreferably power driven by electrical motor means contained in theenclosure body and the electrical motor means are not shown in therawings as they are of well known form.

V In combination with these three cutting stations which are comprisedby the main table 6 and the spindles 12, 14 and 16, I provide threespecial multiple work surface units. These multiple work surface unitsare generally indicated by the arrows A, B and C respectively as bestshown in FIGURES 1 and 2. Each multiple work surface unit includes araised secondary table element, cooperating fence means and supportingbracket members for. adjustably locating the table elements and theirrespective fences in a desired working position with respect to thedriving spindles 12, 14 and 16.

Considering these multiple work surface units in greater detail, theunit A includes a pair of angle brackets A1 and A2. The brackets areformed with slotted base sections slidable on the main table 6 andadjustably secured by means of wing screws A4 and A5 which are threadedinto the main table 6. By loosening the wing screws the brackets A1 andA2 may be horizontally adjusted as desired. The brackets A1 and A2 alsopresent vertical sections which are channeled as suggested in FIGURE 2and in the channeled portions of these vertical sections are mounted,for Vertical sliding adjustment, a table element A3 as is better shownin FIGURE.7. Wing nuts A6 and A7 are threaded into adjacent shoulderedportions of the table element A3 to solidly lock the table element inany position of vertical adjustment desired as indicated in FIG. 7.

Further, in accordance with the invention, I provide a dual fencestructure consisting of an upper fence element A8 and a lower fenceelement A9, which is supported on angle brackets as A10 and A11respectively by means of locking screws A12 and A13. These anglebrackets A10 and All are supplemented by a second pair of brackets oneof which is shown in FIGURE 2 and denoted by the numeral A14. Thebrackets A10 and A14 are adjustably positioned and secured by means ofwing screws A16 and A18.

By means of the arrangement described, a considerable range ofadjustment may be realized both horizontally and vertically with respectto the table element A3 and also the fence sections A8 and A9 and thus awork piece may be brought into any position of engagement desired withrespect to a cutting element supported on the spindle 12.

It will be understood that the second multiple work surface unit Bincludes a table element B3 and a fence section B8, also the thirdmultiple work surface C includes a table element C3 and fence sectionC8, with each of these units being supported on brackets correspondingto those already described with respect to the unit A.

By means of the three multiple work surface units de embed, it will beapparent that a work piece may be initially advanced through any one ofthe stations and will be guided along a common horizontal path ofmovement. By changing the work piece from one station to another thework piece may be continued in a common horizontalplane of movement butits vertical plane of guidance is varied so that a series of differentcutting steps may be carried out in'rapid succession and with a singlehandling of the work piece.

Another important feature of the invention is the increased number ofcutting operations which can be carried out. Attention is directed toFIGURES 4, 5 and 6. These figures represent cross sectional views takenvertically through the successive cutting stations of units A, B and C.As shown in FIGURE 4, for example, a work piece W may be engaged againstthe lower cutting element on the spindle 12a to provide a rab beted cutas shown. This work piece may then be turned and advanced on the tableA3 into engagement with a second cutter 12a on the spindle 12 to provideboth rabbet edge and rounded corner. I may also wish to angle cut thiswork piece, or some other work piece and where this is desired, I mayprovide an angle guide G against which the work piece may be held whileadvanced into engagement with a cutting element 12c located at the topof the spindle 12. It will he understood that various cutting elemen-tsmay be interchanged and a wide range of cutting tools employed to carryout further desired cabinet working operations.

For example, in FIGURE 5 I have illustrated the spindle equipped with atable element B3 and fence B8, through which extends the cutter 14a.This cutter may he used to form a work piece W2 as shown. Another cutter140, located below the table element B1 may be employed to form anothergrooved edge in the work piece W2, or some other work piece.

In FIGURE 6, the driving spindle 16 is shown with the cutting tool 160,cutting a slot in a work piece W3. Below the table element C3 is mounteda cutter 1612, which forms a rib on the work piece W3, or some otherwork piece. I may also provide an adaptor plate P which is adapted tooverlie the table element C1 and be resiliently retained at theunderside thereof by a spring S. The use of such a plate P makes itpossible to use different thicknesses of stock in forming the slot orchannel produced the cutter 16a.

It should be understood that these illustrated cutting operations areintended to indicate a wide range of other cutting steps and formingoperations which may be carried out by varying the type of tool which isfixed on the driving spindles, or by using spaces or angle fence orother devices of this nature.

It will be further observed that in the operations illustrated inFIGURES 4, 5 and 6, almost all of the common cutting steps employed inmaking cabinet drawers can be carried out for each component of thedrawer without having to lay the piece down from the time the work isstarted until it is completed. This necessarily provides a substantialsaving in time and labor in the setting up of special machines and theentire drawer making operation is greatly facilitated. It should befurther understood that the invention, although particularly suitablefor drawer making, is equally adaptable to various other cabinet makingoperations in the woodworking field.

While I have shown preferred embodiments of multiple work surface units,it should be understood that various changes and modifications may beresorted to within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

A power tool comprising a stand having a horizontal work supportingsurface mounted at the upper side thereof, a plurality of verticallydisposed power driven spindles arranged in offset relation within thestand and extending upwardly through the work supporting surface,cutting elements fixed to the upper ends of the spindles, work guidingfence means extending upwards from the horizontal work supportingsurfaces and presenting a plurality of vertical guide surfaces throughwhich the said cutting elements may project in a lateral direction, saidvertical guide surfaces being constructed and arranged to intersect oneanother and define a plurality of cutting stations which occur angularlywith respect to one another along a common horizontal work supportingplane and adjustable work surface means located in spaced relation tothe said horizontal work supporting surface, said stand presentingvertical sides which also occur in angularly disposed relationship toone another to provide relieved operator standing areas lying directlyin back of respective vertical guide surfaces whereby a workpiece may beguided along the said common horizcntal plane of travel and throughsuccessively changing vertical planes of travel for selectively engagingeach of the cutting elements independently of one another.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 23,991Schutte May 10, 1859 100,704 Bas-hore Mar. 8, 1870 120,405 Walker Oct.31, 1871 298,056 Bean May 6, 1884 440,802 Autenrieth Nov. 18, 1890782,342 Johnson et al. Feb. 14, 1905 836,879 Guttenberg et al. Nov. 27,1906 1,015,927 Arbuthno-t Ian. 30, 1912 1,621,146 Welp Mar. 15, 19271,748,366 Salvat Feb. 25, 1930 1,807,561 White May 26, 1931 2,102,857Schafer Dec. 21, 1935 2,743,747 Franks May 1, 1956 FOREiGN PATENTS472,656 Italy June 27, 1952

